Mastermind, architect, legend.
These are just some of the words that Bayer Leverkusen fans used to describe Xabi Alonso. Under his leadership, the club has gone from being the ‘almost men’ of football to champions in the making.
Scarves with ‘Deutscher Meister 2024’ (German Champions 2024) and ‘Danke Xabi’ are already being sold outside the BayArena as a huge queue of fans queued to buy unofficial ‘champions’ jerseys on Friday.
They have waited a long time for this moment. The club is not called “Neverkusen” for no reason. It became their nickname after they missed out on the title in dramatic fashion at the end of the 1999-2000 and 2001-2022 seasons.
Neverkusen describes the image of the team as eternal runners-up. She is always the bridesmaid, never the bride. That was until Alonso walked through the doors in October 2022. After taking the club from second-to-last to sixth in the Bundesliga last season, Leverkusen are unbeaten in 42 games this season and are one win away from their first German title.
Xabi Alonso has been the architect of Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible season in the Bundesliga
The Spaniard has taken the club from the penultimate position to being on the verge of being champion
Bayer Leverkusen fans will no longer have to hear the name ‘Neverkusen’ after this campaign
Alonso’s connection with the Leverkusen fans only strengthened when he committed his future to the club, despite interest from Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. But he had to earn his trust from the beginning.
“I was very skeptical at first,” says Kara Head, who ran Leverkusen’s English social media. “She had a great history as a player, but she hadn’t trained much.”
Few could have anticipated how extraordinary this season would be.
“I knew we had a good team with a good coach, but no one expected us to have this unbeaten streak,” says fan Lara. “It’s crazy, 42 games and counting.”
Alonso is only 42 years old and one of his strengths is his ability to join training, showing his players how he wants them to pass and move and the intensity with which they should play.
It is perhaps unsurprising that someone who played under Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti has been able to make the transition from player to coach seamlessly.
“It seems like he knows how to beat any team,” Kara continues. “He finds a way, makes the right substitutions, reads the game very well.” It’s like when she was a player, but now she has even more control. He is a strategist. Somehow he has managed to put everything together perfectly. He shows you the difference a coach can make.”
Supporting Leverkusen is described as a rollercoaster with constant ups and downs. The club has been moving towards this success for some time, but Alonso was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Alonso has already committed his future to the club after being linked with a return to Liverpool or Bayern Munich
The club is on an incredible unbeaten run in the Bundesliga and is set to win its first title.
The club is also undefeated in Europe and has reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
“The team has played fantastic football over the last decade, but they were victims of their own mistakes, whether in defense or attack,” says fan Peter.
‘Xabi seems to have refined these areas and has a very effective style of football, with a lot of possession and different attacking options.
‘I see this as the conclusion of a long-term process, also related to the change of mentality of the club’s management. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a glorious era.”
Alonso’s decision to commit to Leverkusen for at least one more season took many by surprise, but not those closely associated with the club.
The Spaniard has been telling his players for 18 months that “this is the place to be.” Abandoning ship would have felt like a betrayal.
‘I’m glad he did it so early because it was so annoying to hear every day, ‘Where is he going? Where is he going?'” says Kara.
“The day he said he would stay, I said: ‘we will win the Champions League next season!’
“Leverkusen have become a bit like Dortmund, seen as a team in development. The players who are not at Bayern are looking to go elsewhere.
“But Alonso has done a very good job of changing that. He has really sold them on what they are doing.
‘The club will always be more attractive while Xabi Alonso is here. I wonder what will happen after he leaves because I suppose at some point he will.’
Competing with Bayern’s financial power is not easy. Alonso and his team made shrewd signings in the summer. Granit Xhaka has been a revelation since his departure from Arsenal, while free transfer Alex Grimaldo has been one of the signings of the season.
“I don’t think anyone would say that Leverkusen has the best team in the world, let alone the most expensive players in the world,” says Kara.
“If you look at the salaries between us and Bayern, there is a big difference. The fact that he was able to do so much with the team is crazy. Our club can compete with the best teams without spending too much or being wasteful.”
Former Arsenal player Granit Xhaka has been a revelation since his departure from the Emirates.
Alonso is only 42 years old and one of his strengths is his ability to join training
Leverkusen defeated Bayern Munich and Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane
Guardiola is known for his obsession with the state of Manchester City’s pitch at the Etihad, while Mikel Arteta is understood to be equally protective of the Emirates. It seems Alonso, whose team plays an expansive passing style of football, is no different.
“The field is one of the reasons they’ve had such a good season,” Kara explains. ‘He usually wins prizes and is looked after very well. It has been very important for the style of football they play.
Leverkusen general manager Simon Rolfes has even asked his fans not to storm the pitch if they win the title on Sunday, although such pleas are likely to fall on deaf ears.
If Leverkusen remain unbeaten all season, they will be the first Bundesliga team to do so and will likely receive a gold shield, rather than the usual silver. Some fans think success would be enough to earn him a statue. If they manage to win the Europa League and the German Cup, their case will be even greater.
“If he does it and goes undefeated, I think he has to do it,” Kara says.
There is an acceptance that it is a matter of when, not if, Alonso leaves in the future. But for now, fans are enjoying the time he’s here and the success he can bring, this season and beyond.
“I think he is a very elegant and honorable person,” says Fabián, who has supported the club since he was six years old.
“I think that with one more season together, it can prepare the club for a future that will be Bayern’s main rival in the coming years.”
In Bayer 04 there is a phrase: We are at your side, the club anthem plays before the matches and it says: “We have the UEFA Cup and the DFB Cup, next time they will win the Bundesliga.”
Lyrics may need to be updated after Sunday. “We’ve already changed it, because when we played in the stadium this season, we sang ‘this year’ instead of next time,” says Marie, who has been attending the games since she was five years old. ‘Tomorrow we will sing ‘today’.’
Success is in Alonso’s DNA, but years of pain meant it took many Leverkusen fans until February or March to truly believe they could win the league. They lost the title on the final day of 1999-2000 and needed just three points from their last four games in 2001-2002, only to lose to Borussia Dortmund. For now, the champagne is frozen.
“Finally everyone is ready,” says Kara. ‘Surely this time it can’t go wrong?’